Just north of al Eis, western deemed moderate group Division 13 is assisting in the latest southern Aleppo offensive along with Jabhat al Nusrah, fighting to take the village of Khalidiya and suffering casualties.

Official Division 13 Tweet (01 Apr 2016):

Official Division 13 Tweet (01 Apr 2016): Warning: Graphic Image.

Youtube video Division 13 (04 Apr 2016) – Band 13 ll evacuate the wounded and equipped to break into the points system forces in Khalidiya Village near Khan Tuman:

Western deemed moderate group Division 13, CIA vetted and approved to receive US military aid including TOW anti-tank missiles and al Qaeda’s Jabhat al Nusrah have worked together on many occasions and continue to do so.

This follows a recent spat between Jabhat al Nusrah and Division 13, though it appears to have either been put to one side or the suggested Sharia court intervention by Jabhat al Nusrah and agreed to by Division 13 has resolved the issue.

After little reporting by main stream media news outlets or acknowledgement by Western politicians throughout the Syrian conflict, it is now becoming irrefutable that the Syrian opposition is not made up of predominantly Western deemed moderate, democratic forces.

It is made up of many fundamentalist Sunni Islamic groups that do not share the Western view of Syria becoming a free, secular, democratic state. It is now openly reported, even by pro-opposition activists and Western media news outlets that Jabhat al Nusrah and other fundamentalist Islamic groups are fighting alongside western deemed moderate groups.

This co-operation has persisted within Syria’s opposition throughout the conflict and should not be considered as just a recent development due to any particular circumstance or situation.

It still remains to be seen why US and Western coalition forces have avoided targeting Jabhat al Nusrah and their fundamentalist affiliates within Syria, when they have and continue to operate openly on the ground throughout the five year conflict, despite being deemed a terrorist organization.

It may be that it is seen as being too difficult to identify and accurately strike Jabhat al Nusrah fighters on the battlefield, especially when fighting alongside Western deemed moderate groups.

Or simply a contradiction the US is willing to bear due to the wishes of regional allied nations who either facilitate the support of Jabhat al Nusrah and other fundamentalist groups, or see it as a necessary and effective fighting force to battle the Assad government.

Archicivilians has produced an info-graphic showing which alleged groups and coalitions are fighting in the southern Aleppo offensive:

The village of al Eis in southern Aleppo has been under the control of Jabhat al Nusrah since it’s capture on the 01 April 2016.

Attempts have been made to recapture the village by Syrian, Iranian and Lebanese forces. The latest according to social media accounts allegedly resulting in a failed attack, incurring a number of casualties and fatalities among the Syrian, Iranian and Lebanese forces.